No. 23 Boise State heads into Saturday’s Milk Can showdown with Fresno State trying to do something it has not done in the series for three straight years: beat the Bulldogs.
Boise State is 4-1 overall and 1-0 in Pac-12 play, while Fresno State arrives at 4-1 and 1-0 as well. Last season’s meeting belonged to Fresno State in a big way, with the Bulldogs rolling to a 30-7 win at Albertsons Stadium.
This year’s game is being played at Valley Children’s Stadium, and both teams come in riding four-game winning streaks, which gives the rivalry matchup even more weight. Boise State opened as an 8.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook.
The Broncos are also dealing with some notable absences. They are without starting wide receivers Rasean Jones and Cam Bates, along with left guard Carson Rasmussen. Jones leads the team with 23 catches for 259 yards and two total touchdowns, and his absence could matter for a Boise State offense that leans heavily on the run game with Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines.
That ground-first identity may be even more important against Fresno State if the passing attack is limited.
There’s also a bigger picture hanging over the afternoon. UNLV held on to beat North Dakota State, 13-7, and the Pac-12’s top three contenders - Boise State, Fresno State and Oregon State - are now in strong position to chase a CFP bid. The first game involving those three teams is just getting underway.
North Dakota State, which is 5-0 and 2-0 in the Mountain West, remains the main competition for the Group of Six’s automatic spot in the College Football Playoff. The Bison were trailing UNLV 13-7 midway through the fourth quarter on The CW, the same network carrying Boise State-Fresno State.
Keep it here for live updates, highlights and reaction from the Milk Can rivalry game.
In Other News...
Boise State Just Lost A Key Weapon For Fresno State
Boise State heads into its matchup with Fresno State dealing with a thinner-than-usual receiver room, and the biggest absence is a familiar one for anyone who watched last weeks win over Utah State. True freshman wideout Rasean Jones will not play after leaving that game following a helmet-to-helmet hit, taking away one of the Broncos more dynamic first-year contributors at an inconvenient time.
Jones has become a key piece in Boise States passing game as a true freshman, so his absence changes the look of the offense even before the ball is snapped. The Broncos are also dealing with several other players who have already been ruled out or listed as unavailable, though there is better news in the backfield, where running backs Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines are expected to be available after recent injuries. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Just Found Passing Game Help In An Unexpected Place
Boise States 38-31 win over Fresno State offered a glimpse of where the passing game might be headed if the Broncos have to keep piecing things together on the fly. Underclassmen Terrious Favors, Qumonte Williams Jr. and Quinton Brown all stepped into bigger roles and combined for six catches and 55 yards, while quarterback Maddux Madsen spread the ball to nine different teammates in a game that looked a lot less top-heavy than Boise States offense has sometimes been.
The urgency behind that shift was obvious, too, with the Broncos leaning on younger receivers because of injuries to key starters. Head coach Spencer Danielson and Madsen both came away encouraged by what they saw from that group, and the performance gave Boise State something it has been searching for as the season moves along: a little more confidence that the next wave of pass catchers can handle real snaps when the game asks for them. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Just Got The Ranking Broncos Fans Have Waited For
Boise States surge into the top 25 of the Week 6 Coaches Poll gave the Broncos the kind of national recognition they had been chasing, and it came after a 38-31 road win over Fresno State that carried extra weight because of the way it was earned. Even short-handed, the Broncos found enough offense to keep moving, with quarterback Maddux Madsen throwing for 238 yards and two touchdowns to help steady a game that tested their depth.
The ranking matters because it signals that Boise States early-season work is starting to register beyond its own locker room, with Georgia still sitting No. 1 and the usual national contenders filling out the top of the poll. For a program trying to build momentum, the challenge now is making sure the vote reflects more than one strong road win, especially with injuries already forcing the Broncos to adjust on the fly. [Read more 🡒]